H.M.S. Victory at her permanent Mooring in Portsmouth Harbour

The Victory, arguably the most famous vessel in the long history of the Royal Navy, was already forty years old when she carried Lord Nelson to the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Although she emerged victorious, she had been severely damaged and was almost rebuilt when she was repaired. The Victory returned to sea in 1808, and in 1824 she was made harbour flag and receiving ship at Portsmouth, where for almost a century she remained at her moorings. In 1921 she was dry-docked and her post-Trafalgar alterations were removed before carefully restoring her to her original appearance.